Last year’s surprise thriller by K.J. Howe, The Freedom Broker, hit the field hard, introducing both a razor sharp writer and a series featuring Thea Paris, a character tough enough to stand toe-to-toe with Reacher and Repairman Jack. The kidnap and rescue team delves into dark territories that combine the thriller aspects with a character development rarely found in the genre.

Thea Paris is flying two brothers to a new home after saving them from Boko Harum after they had been forced into serving as child soldiers. The plane is hijacked by the pilot, who has been compromised by the leader of the Sicilian Mafia, Prospero Salvatore, who has other plans for Paris. A World War II-era threat rises that can wipe out millions, headed by a secret generation’s old group, which could be seen as mirroring the terror groups in the world today, especially in America.

A teen torn by family ties has to fight the darkest parts of humanity that he’s bound to. How the several groups, including Paris’s Quantum International Security, intertwine and work both with and against each other drives this thriller, which somehow surpasses the adrenaline level of the first book.

Howe went global with her first novel. With Skyjack, the thriller reaches deep into realms that have made suspense and horror work for so long. Readers feel the darkness and the emotion that engulf the story with characters who challenge the genre.

Highly recommended for fans of good storytelling, especially with high stakes plots and characters who face the abyss throughout, fighting to either hang on or dive within.